WATSONVILLE -- Four years ago, before Assemblyman Luis Alejo left the Watsonville City Council for Sacramento, he voted for his successor.

His action spurred a court battle, a city ballot measure and now legislation that could affect cities throughout California -- though, ironically, not Watsonville.

Alejo introduced Assembly Bill 1795 on Feb. 18 with little fanfare. The intent, he said, is to enshrine in law a 2010 Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge's ruling that a resigning member of a city council can stay in office long enough to choose his replacement.

"I expect there will be a lot of support for this voting rights bill in Sacramento," Alejo said. "It's the right thing to do."

In 2010, then-Councilman Emilio Martinez argued Alejo couldn't vote for his replacement because his seat wouldn't be vacant until he stepped down from office. With his wife Kathleen Morgan-Martinez and Corralitos pilot Ken Adelman, Martinez filed a lawsuit to prevent Alejo from casting a ballot.

Alejo countered that a vacancy occurred when a council member announced his or her intention to quit, and that the resignation could be made effective upon the appointment of a replacement. If he couldn't vote, Alejo said, his constituents in District 2 would be disenfranchised as their next representative was chosen by six council members elected from other districts.

The city, championing Alejo's position, prevailed in superior court, though the matter is pending in a state appeals court.

The issue continued to rankle, however, and a citizens group collected enough signatures to force the City Council to put a measure on the June 3 ballot that would prevent such a vote by a member of the council in the future.

The Let the People Vote measure defines a vacancy as "empty," and bans the appointment of replacements, requiring instead an election in the affected district.

"When (Alejo) resigned, he chose his own replacement," said supporter Mary Freeland. "We don't want that to happen again. If there's a vacancy, voters want to choose their own councilman."

Alejo said that's bad public policy as seats would remain vacant for three months while potentially costly elections are organized, and the affected constituents would be left without a representative in the meantime. But he said he has no plans to oppose the measure. Nor, he said, is he trying to nullify the efforts of the citizens group backing the ballot measure with his legislation, as some have feared.

California has nearly 600 municipalities, most of which are known as "general law" cities, governed by state regulations. Watsonville is one of the state's more than 100 charter cities, which have more leeway to establish their own rules through their voter-approved charter.

"This bill will apply everywhere else in California, where a city's charter does not specifically address it, and for all 'general law' cities throughout the state," Alejo said.

If voters approve the ballot measure, its provisions will become part of the city charter.